Wow in the World: WeWow on the Weekend – March 22, 2026

Host: Dennis (with Reggie the pigeon, Guy Raz, Mindy Thomas)
Main Theme:
This episode of WeWow on the Weekend blends silly science fun with listener questions, interactive segments, and a relisten to the “Getting Nosy About the Science of Smell” episode. The show explores how and why people experience different smells, the science of olfaction, and the genetics behind our scent perceptions—all with humor, games, and the voices of curious kids.

Episode Overview

• Theme: Science of smell and how genetics influence scent perception
• Core Segments:
  • Interactive Q&A with kid callers
  • “Inside Tinkercast Studios” relisten to a Wow in the World episode about olfaction
  • Silly games and running jokes about smells

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. March Gladness and Silly Games

• March Gladness Bracket: Dennis introduces the idea of a “March Gladness” bracket where you choose what made you happiest that month, a playful spin on March Madness. ([00:01])
• Game Time – I Spy: Dennis and Reggie play a short, comedic round of “I Spy”—with Dennis insisting he’s not cheating. ([02:29])

2. Listener Q&A

• Why Are Strawberries Red?
  • Dennis jokes, “It’s because they’re embarrassed…they’re kind of blushing about it,” before marveling at the misnomer of “gooseberries.” ([04:01])
• How Do You Understand Reggie?
  • Dennis credits “listening” and Reggie quips: “Social cognition.” ([04:56])
• Why Are Butterflies Called Butterflies?
  • Dennis speculates, “Maybe butterflies were supposed to be named ‘flutterbys’…someone wasn’t paying attention and wrote down butterfly instead. A happy little accident.” ([05:45])

3. Inside Tinkercast Studios: Getting Nosy About the Science of Smell

Relistening to Wow in the World, the hosts deeply explore olfaction in classic playful fashion. ([09:37])

a) Bottling Odors & Imagination

• Mindy claims to have bottled smells in jars, from “wet clothes left in the washing machine” to “convenience store smell” and “rotten eggs,” which Dennis famously says, “Ooh, that one smells like Uranus.” ([12:23])
• They note hydrogen sulfide on Uranus smells like rotten eggs—a real science fact stated humorously.

b) The Nose Knows — How Smell Works

• Mindy explains:

  “Inside your nose…are about 400 different odor detecting receptors…just waiting to catch the tiny molecules that come in through the air.” ([16:54])

• Receptors activate and send messages to the brain—deciding if a smell is good, bad, familiar, or new.

c) Smell Perception Experiment

• Mindy recreates a scent experiment (based on real research):
  • Neighbor volunteers rate the intensity and pleasantness of 150 odors (from cilantro to “Mindy toots”).
  • Example scents elicit different reactions: cilantro, asparagus pee, sweat (androstenone), parmesan cheese, and “certified organic Mindy toot.” ([26:06] onward)
  • Some find odors pleasant, others gross, and some not at all—a clear setup for genetic variability.

d) The Genetics of Smell

• Scientists in the referenced real study collected DNA from participants after a smell rating experiment to compare olfactory receptor genes. ([30:07])
• Key discovery:

  “Even the tiniest change in even one of the 400 olfactory receptors…could completely change the way one person experienced a certain smell compared to another person.” — Mindy ([31:07])

• Examples:
  • Some people think cilantro tastes (and smells) like soap.
  • Guy can’t smell Lily of the Valley; Dennis can.

e) Brain Connections & Memories

• Discussion on how interpretation of smell is tied to memory and taste, adding emotional resonance to scent perception.

f) Takeaway & Real-World Impact

• The ability to detect and interpret smells is a complex dance of receptors, genetics, and memories.
• Understanding this helps scientists—and us—learn more about food preferences, health, and even safety (like sniffing out harmful chemicals). ([32:14])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dennis on Gooseberries: “[Gooseberries]…don’t look anything like a goose. Oh, wait. Do gooseberries turn you into a goose when you eat them?” ([04:01])
• Dennis on Butterflies: “Maybe butterflies were supposed to be named flutterbys because they flutter on by you, but someone wasn’t paying attention…” ([05:45])
• Mindy on smells:

  “Inside your nose…are about 400 different odor detecting receptors.” ([16:54])

• Guy Raz: “…your nose has the power to tell the difference between at least 1 trillion different smells.” ([18:59])
• Dennis: “Ooh, that one smells like Uranus.” ([12:40])
• Mindy (on experiment results): “Even the tiniest change in even one of the 400 olfactory receptors…could completely change the way one person experienced a certain smell compared to another person.” ([31:07])
• Mindy (on scientific experiments): “Anything for science, Guy Raz.” ([28:58])

Important Timestamps

• [00:01] Intro, March Gladness, opening banter
• [02:29] “I Spy” game
• [03:52] Listener Q&A: Strawberries, Reggie’s language, Butterflies
• [07:44] Transition to Tinkercast segment
• [09:37] “Getting Nosy About the Science of Smell” relisten starts
• [12:23] Bottling weird and wacky smells (Dennis and Mindy banter)
• [16:54] Explaining olfactory receptors and how humans smell
• [18:59] Nose can distinguish “at least 1 trillion” different smells—experimentation in the “ol factory”
• [26:06] Recreation of real genetic smell experiment (smell testing with neighbors)
• [30:07] The science: sequencing DNA, olfactory genes, what researchers found
• [31:29] Examples of smell differences (cilantro = soap, parmesan = vomit for some)
• [32:14] Real-world impact of smell science
• [33:25] Outro with slime jokes, barbecues, silly Dennis moments

Tone & Style

• Whimsical, silly, high-energy; scientific concepts delivered with wordplay and playful logic
• Dennis provides comic relief and imaginative Q&A
• Mindy & Guy anchor the science in fun, accessible explanations

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode is a great example of Wow in the World's ability to teach serious science (why we smell things differently!) through play, story, kid-driven questions, and imaginative skits. The genes that help us smell are as unique as fingerprints, which is why someone’s favorite cheese might smell like “vomit” to you! The show encourages kids to experiment, ask questions, and find wonder in both the silly and the scientific—while never turning down a chance for a good joke about toots or barbecued earthworms.

Notable takeaway:

“Our noses help us make sense of the world around us. How we use them is a combination of our genes, our memories, and sometimes, a little bit of luck—like being able to avoid a jar of ‘certified organic Mindy toot.’”